Crime & Safety
$240K In Marijuana Seized By Customs Officers At VA Airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found more than 59 pounds of marijuana in the bags of a woman traveling to Germany, officials say.
DULLES, VA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport found an estimated $240,000 worth of marijuana in the baggage of a German-bound traveler on Sunday, according to authorities.
CBP officers discovered the marijuana in 50 vacuum-sealed packages inside two hard-sided suitcases that were being loaded onto an aircraft heading for Frankfurt, Germany, CBP says. Using baggage tags, the officers linked the suitcases to 42-year-old Aleshia Anne Pinheiro of Las Vegas.
After stopping Pinheiro at the departure gate, officers took her and her baggage to an inspection station for a secondary examination, according to CBP
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“The packages contained a green leafy substance that field tested positive for marijuana,” officials said. “The marijuana weighed a combined 26.88 kilograms, or 59 pounds, 4 ounces. The marijuana had a street value of about $240,000. Depending on potency, this shipment could have fetched two to three times more in Europe.”
CBP turned Pinheiro over to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police, charging her with two felonies: transporting a controlled substance into the Commonwealth and possession with intent to distribute, according to the incident report.
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“Anyone considering making a quick buck by carrying bulk marijuana loads for drug trafficking organizations should realize that the consequences you face can be severe when Customs and Border Protection officers catch you,” said Christine Waugh, area port director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, D.C. “CBP will continue to seize these marijuana loads to deprive transnational criminal organizations of illicit revenue, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold drug mules accountable.”
On average, CBP officers and agents seized 1,571 pounds of dangerous drugs at the country’s ports of entry in 2024, according to the report.
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